Indiana University will play a key role in the formation of a first-of-its-kind national institute targeting the next frontier of technological innovation in the microelectronics industry.
IU is a member of the team that was selected this week by the National Institute for Standards and Technology to launch the new Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Research with Twins USA (SMART USA) Institute. Led by the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) and poised to receive $285 million in federal funding, the SMART USA Institute will develop, validate and use virtual, computer-generated models, known as “digital twins,” to improve domestic semiconductor design, manufacturing, advanced packaging, assembly and test processes. It will also reduce the time and cost of chip design, create a more fertile climate for domestic chip production and provide training opportunities for the next generation of semiconductor workers.
IU is among 150 partner entities spanning 30 states and representing industry, government and academia that are participating in the SMART USA Institute, which was established through the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The institute’s partners also include the EDGE Consortium, a national effort dedicated to making semiconductor-related education more accessible and aligned with industry workforce needs. IU President Pamela Whitten and Joanna Millunchick, dean of the IU Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, are among a select group of founding members of the EDGE Consortium, which Whitten also co-chairs.
The announcement about the SMART USA Institute comes as IU continues to move forward a series of major initiatives in microelectronics and nanotechnology—part of an unprecedented $111 million investment to strengthen IU’s and Indiana’s national leadership and impact in these areas. These include the IU Center for Reliable and Trusted Electronics, also known as IU CREATE, a university-wide center focused on research and development of high-reliability microelectronics with applications for the defense, automotive and commercial space sectors.
“Innovative modeling is essential to advancing microelectronics manufacturing,” said Daniel Loveless, founding director of IU CREATE and associate professor of intelligent systems engineering at IU’s Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering. “Digital twins play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between design and production, enabling faster and more accurate predictions. This program will align IU CREATE’s unique microelectronics test and validation capabilities with various resources across IU and the EDGE Consortium.
“IU is building an integrated ecosystem that accelerates the development and deployment of next-generation microelectronics solutions by fostering a collaborative environment with multiple departments and centers specializing in microelectronics, AI, digital twin technology, fabrication, education and workforce development. This ecosystem is essential to address the evolving needs of modern industries. As a member of the SMART USA Institute, IU will further strengthen these capabilities and forge strategic partnerships to meet the dynamic demands of the future.”
Recently, IU was awarded $4 million from the second round of Indiana’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative to acquire high-performance computing tools for microelectronics modeling and simulation and digital twins to support existing research and development related to radiation-hardened microelectronics and 2.5D and 3D heterogeneous integration.
The READI-funded equipment, which will be installed in Multidisciplinary Engineering and Sciences Hall at IU Bloomington, will shorten the chip development process by providing IU CREATE researchers with new ways to test chip design configurations and verify their reliability in harsh environments. It will also expand the suite of tools available for use by industry partners in radiation-hardened microelectronics and advanced packaging, two key technology areas for Indiana microelectronics companies in the region and state.
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